Mass Legends
by Roxas2014
Summary: Set in ME1. Commander Shepard is out to save the galaxy, but she is not alone. With her is a fearless Alliance soldier whose actions speak louder than his words. He's loyal, kindhearted, skilled with a blade...and not human. ME and LOZ crossover. 2nd fic *ON HIATUS*
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hello! For those of you who don't know me, I'm the guy that wrote the small story ****Last Stand**** in the Legend of Zelda section. That story was sort of an extended prologue for this one right here. This is a crossover story between Mass Effect and Legend of Zelda; a strange combination, I know, but once I got the idea it just wouldn't go away. So, without further ado, here's Mass Legends.**

**Update****: For those of you who read this prior to this date, I wanted to let you know that I had to change this chapter a little bit. It turns out that writing in script format is not allowed in the guidelines. Thank you, ****HammerOfZeeGods, for pointing that out to me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Legend of Zelda.**

Chapter 1: Background

Inside a large white office room, three men sat at a table. Two of them wore dark blue military uniforms, one a captain and the other an admiral, while the third wore a beige and white suit. Scattered across the table were numerous grey datapads, their glowing orange screens revealing the history and service record of the people listed on them. These men had a significant decision lying in front of them; one that could have dire consequences on the galactic community.

"Well, what about Shepard?" The one in the suit asked. "She's a spacer. Lived aboard starships most of her life."

"Military service runs in the family," the captain replied. "Both her parents were in the navy."

"She saw her whole unit die on Akuze. She could have some serious emotional scars."The admiral said.

"Every soldier has scars. Shepard's a survivor." The captain stated.

"There's also Link." The admiral said. "He proved himself during the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived."

The captain nodded in agreement.

"He's the only reason Elysium is still standing." He added.

The suit pondered for a moment, discontent written in his expression.

"…We can't question his courage." He admitted. "His origins, on the other hand…"

"Human or not, he was there when the slavers attacked Mindoir. He knows how tough life can be out there." The captain interjected.

"Are these the kind of people we want protecting the galaxy?" The suit asked, still uncertain of the choices.

"These are the only kind of people who can protect the galaxy." The captain answered.

"…I'll make the calls."

**A/n: I know it's a short chapter, but this is just to get the idea out and see what you guys think. There are a few things I want to tell you all before I go any further. 1) If you read my first story, you'll know I don't write large paragraphs loaded with detail. There will be adequate details, but for the most part the word range for the chapters will go no more than 2,500 words. 2) Just as the past Links have used more than a sword and a shield to fight, so will the Link in my story. For close range he will use a blade of some kind, but for enemies farther away he will use a gun. 3) Since I'm starting my second year of college, chapters will be posted sporadically. I'll try to at least get one done per week, but I make no guarantees. 4) There will be pairings in the story, but there will not be a FemshepxLink pairing (in case some of you were wondering). 5) Link will be mute, just like he has been in the games. He will have other forms of communication, but he will not speak verbally.**

**Thank you for reading this small intro. Don't forget to review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry it took a while to get this chapter up. First I had to go get a part-time job, and then I had to fix the first chapter as it was written in a format that's not covered in the guidelines. If you haven't seen the updated chapter, please do so. Anyway, here's Chapter 2!**

**I do not own Mass Effect or Legend of Zelda.**

Chapter 2: Complication

In the small sloped cockpit of a prototype stealth frigate, two men worked on orange holographic displays, while two armored figures stood behind them. One was clearly alien, given his three fingered hands, arched feet, and chitinous shell covering his face. The other was red haired woman with green eyes, staring ahead with a stern expression on her face. Both stood silently as the pilot and copilot ran diagnostics on the ship's first flight through a Mass Relay.

"Thrusters, check. Navigation, check. Internal emission sink engaged. All systems online. Drift…just under 1500 K." stated the pilot, identified by his position in the cockpit and his dark blue hat.

"1500 is good." The turian commented. "Your captain will be pleased."

With that, the heavily armored turian turned and walked across the small hallway linking the cockpit to the rest of the ship. Once he was out of earshot, the pilot finally commented on their guest.

"I hate that guy."

His copilot, a dark haired man, raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Nihilus gave you a compliment," he said, "…so you hate him."

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead, so that's incredible!" The pilot retorted. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having them on board. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid. The Council funded this project; they have the right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment." The copilot explained.

"Yeah, that is the 'official' story," the pilot said sarcastically "…but only an idiot believes the official story."

At this the woman finally spoke.

"I agree. They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs." She said.

"So there's more going on here than the captain is letting on-" the pilot said just before the comm. unit went off.

"Joker! Status report." An authoritative voice commanded.

"Just cleared the Mass relay, Captain. Stealth system's engaged. Everything looks solid." Joker stated.

"Good. Find us a comm. buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime." The captain ordered.

"Aye aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihilus is headed your way. " The pilot warned.

"He's already here, Lieutenant." At that, the pilot shook his head slightly as the captain continued. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm. room for a debriefing."

"You get that, Commander?" Joker asked.

The woman nodded once, a slightly concerned expression on her face.

"He sounds angry. Something must have gone wrong with the mission." She said before walking away.

"Pff. Captain always sounds like that when he's talking to me." Joker said.

The copilot rolled his eyes slightly.

"I can't possibly imagine why."

Halfway down the hallway, Commander Jane Shepard met a young looking officer with dirty blond hair and fiery blue eyes. A small smile came across her face as she addressed the officer.

"Hello, Link."

Xxxxxxxxxx

First Lieutenant Link saluted toward his commanding officer, and then moved aside as Shepard continued on to her destination. He then headed for the cockpit, wanting to talk to the others currently stationed there. On his approach, Joker turned around and saw him.

"Hey, there's my favorite lieutenant," He exclaimed before turning back to the console. "How are the medieval times treating you?"

Link sighed at the joke, while Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko turned to Joker, slightly annoyed.

"Would you cut that out? It gets old after hearing it a dozen times." Kaidan said.

"Well, how many people do you see running around with an Omni-Sword in their hand?" Joker asked rhetorically.

"Lots of soldiers and mercenaries carry around a melee weapon." Kaidan stated.

"Yeah, knives or daggers, not an actual SWORD!" Joker emphasized before turning back to Link. "Face it, man. You're the only one crazy enough to swing a sword around like an actual knight!"

At this, Link turned on his omnitool and began typing in it. Shortly after, a male synthetic voice came out.

"**And yet I'm still alive."**

This text-to-voice program was one of few ways Link could actually communicate, due to his inability to speak. No one knew the reason behind it, as his records (despite the irregularities in relation to the average human) showed no defects. As far as Link could remember, he hadn't been able to utter a single intelligible word, no matter how hard his mother tried. The mere mention of his mother brought a sudden pang of sadness, but he suppressed it before the others noticed. His past was something he'd rather not have a discussion on.

"He has a point. It may be unusual, but he knows when and how to use an Omni-Sword. People don't become war heroes by simply rushing head on without some sort of plan or common sense." Kaidan explained.

"Nah, 'cause then they would be either zombies…or just plain idiots. Personally, I 'd go for the zombie theory." Joker added.

Intent on changing the subject, Link asked about the status of the ship.

"Everything's good. Drive core is stable, all systems are online. Smooth sailing from here…unless this isn't just some simple shakedown run." Joker said.

"Oh no. Don't start that again." Kaidan sighed.

"What? It's obvious something is up. Even the Commander knows it. If this is just some field test for the Normandy, why would there be a Council Spectre onboard?" Joker asked.

Link pondered that for a moment. It definitely seemed strange, especially since Spectres normally deal with issues that could devastate the entire galaxy. A simple shakedown run is hardly considered a potential galaxy-changing assignment, unless…

The console beeped, drawing everyone's attention away from the discussion. Joker tapped a few buttons, opening up a screen.

"It's an emergency transmission…from Eden Prime." Joker stated.

Kaidan and Link glanced at each other, slightly concerned, for a moment before looking back at the screen. A video was displayed, showing intense combat between local marines and an unknown force. As the video came to an end, the trio caught a glimpse of a massive object hovering above the planet's surface, its design a foreboding mystery.

"What the hell was that?" Kaidan asked, slightly in shock.

Rather than answer, Joker opened up a connection to the comm. room.

"Captain, we've got a problem," He exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Joker?" The captain asked.

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this." Joker said, with slight dread in his voice.

Link quickly turned around and headed back down to the cargo hold. He didn't need to have a Codex to know that the strange ship in the video was nothing but trouble. It gave off a malicious aura, inciting fear on those that stood against it. Whether or not it was the reason for the Turian Spectre's presence on the Normandy, one thing was for certain…

This mission just got a lot more complicated.

**A/N: What do you think? Too much game dialogue? Too short of a chapter? Review and let me know what I need to fix.**

**P.S. If you had read my previous story, the Reaper that Link faces does have a name now. Go check it out if you're curious.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I'M ALIVE! Sorry it took me so long to update! It turns out my semester was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. Fortunately, I didn't spend three month doing nothing but college work. Although I did not update, I did manage to work on the overall plot of the story. I know how it goes; now I just need to write it down. I will warn you, it has been a while since I actually started writing again, so I may be a little rusty. Ah well, that's what reviews are for!**

**To answer what I think is the most frequently asked, the Omni-Sword mentioned before is NOT a version of the Master Sword. It is just a sword that Link uses until he gets the Master Sword. When will he get it? You'll have to keep reading to find out!**

**Now, back to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Legend of Zelda.**

Chapter 3: Eden Prime

Over a clearing that looked out towards the setting sun, four black clad figures, three men and one woman, fell from an opening underneath the Normandy. Upon landing, two of them pulled assault rifles off their backs, while the other two pulled out a pistol and a sniper rifle. The sniper, Link, looked out through the scope for possible hostiles. He saw what appeared to be floating gas bags on the other side, but they seemed docile. Kaidan, the one with the pistol, took notice of them as well.

"What the hell are those things?" he asked.

"Gas bags," Corporal Jenkins, the man with the assault rifle, replied. "Don't worry; they're completely harmless."

The woman bearing the assault rifle nodded in acknowledgement, focusing her aim to an opening on one side of the clearing.

"Let's move out," Commander Shepard said.

All three men followed the commander, keeping their weapons raised in case of an attack. The group came to an open area with multiple chest-high rock formations scattered across it. Shepard stopped the group right at the rock wall. Link couldn't blame her; this scene was practically screaming for an ambush.

Shepard scouted what little area she could see while Link waited. After a few seconds, she signaled for Link and Jenkins to proceed. Without hesitation, Link moved out into the open, keeping his rifle aimed toward the other side. He and Jenkins were halfway across the width of the opening when suddenly three drones came streaking out the other side, guns blazing beneath them. Acting purely out of instinct, Link fired a shot, destroying one of the drones, before jumping towards the nearest rock formation.

Staying low, Link turned around just in time to see Jenkins fall from multiple rounds in the chest. His thoughts didn't linger on the sight, but focused more on the attack drones that waited on the other side of his cover. Combat first, everything else later.

Link jumped up from cover, and fired a shot at the drone approaching his position. The machine's shields diminished, leaving the drone open for an onslaught of rounds from an assault rifle. Link watched as the last hovering synthetic was fiercely pulled to the ground by a ghostly blue force. He turned to Kaidan, the man behind the biotic display, as he examined Jenkins.

"Ripped right through his shields," he said as he closed the corporal's eyes, "he never had a chance."

Link looked down, slightly ashamed of himself. Jenkins had been very enthusiastic about this mission, especially since it meant working with a Spectre. True, the news that his home colony was under attack did shake the corporal, but after Link talked to him, Jenkins became determined to see this through. The lieutenant knew what he was going through, being a survivor of Mindoir himself. He had promised Jenkins that the enemy would pay, so long as they went in with a calm mind and a cautious attitude.

Now Jenkins was dead. He should have done something; pushed him out of the way, boosted his shields beforehand…

"We'll see that he receives a proper service after the mission is complete," Shepard said, "but I need you two to stay focused."

Link nodded as Kaidan replied "Aye aye, Ma'am."

Shepard was right, now wasn't the time to start mourning. There was still the Prothean beacon to collect, and dozens of enemies standing in their way. The mission comes first, everything else after.

The grouped moved on, but Link lingered a little longer than the others. He made a silent promise to Jenkins that he would protect the colony, no matter what. He then followed Shepard, sniper rifle in hand.

Xxxxxxxxxx

After a few encounters with more drones, Shepard's group came across another clearing, just in time to see a female soldier in white and pink armor run from the other side. From his scope, Link could see two drones, which were quickly taken out by the soldier's pistol. More movement from the far end caught Link's eye, and he zoomed in his scope to see two synthetic looking creatures place a colonist onto some weird tripod. He wondered what the purpose was…

"!"

The tripod just impaled the colonist! Why would-? Who would-? MONSTERS!

Angered by the immoral act, Link shot the first mech through its flashlight head, just as the other was taken down by three sets of assault rifles. Once the area seemed clear, Link turned his attention to the soldier, who began talking to Commander Shepard.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212" she spoke, fatigue clear in her voice. "Are you the one in charge here, Ma'am?"

"Are you wounded, Williams?" Shepard asked.

"Just a few scrapes and burns, nothing serious," Williams answered. "The others weren't so lucky. We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to send out a distress call, but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Where's the rest of your squad?"

"We tried to double-back to the beacon, but we walked into an ambush. I don't think any of the others..." Ashley paused and shook her head. "…I think I'm the only one left."

Link saw Shepard's expression soften at the gunnery chief's words. He couldn't blame her, considering how closely related this was to Akuze…

"This isn't your fault, Williams," Shepard said, "You couldn't have done anything to save them."

"Yes Ma'am," Ashley acknowledged before continuing, "We held our position as long as we could, but the Geth overwhelmed us."

_Geth? _Link thought. As in the sentient machine race accidentally created by the quarians?

"The Geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly two hundred years," Kaidan said in disbelief, "Why are they here now?"

Ashley shrugged before saying "They must have come for the beacon."

It made sense to Link. If the beacon was as important as everyone says it is, it would be a target for anyone interested, including the Geth. Who knows what the machines could learn from it?

"The dig site is close, just over that rise," Ashley pointed out. "It should still be there."

"We could use your help, Williams." Shepard stated.

"Aye aye Ma'am," Ashley said with steel in her voice. "It's time for payback."

"Move out!"

Xxxxxxxxxx

Ashley swore to herself. They had made it to the dig site, only to find it full of Geth and more spikes with people impaled on them. No Prothean beacon in sight.

"This is the dig site," she told the others. "The beacon was right here! It must have been moved!"

"By who, our side or the Geth?" the dark haired soldier asked.

"Hard to say," she replied, although she hoped it was former. "Maybe we'll know more once we check out the research camp."

"You think anyone got out of here alive?" the red haired commander asked, looking around at the carnage.

"If they were lucky," Ashley said hesitantly, "Maybe hiding out in the camp. It's just on the top of this ridge, up the ramps."

It seemed like a long shot, but after everything she saw she'd gladly welcome any sort of miracle right now.

The others nodded and headed for the ramps, the blond-haired one with the sniper following behind her. He hadn't spoken a word since they'd met, but Ashley didn't dwell on that too much. They were approaching the camp…

…or what was left of it! There was debris everywhere, and fires sprung up on one side of the camp. On the other side were spikes, more than half a dozen, all of them with people on them.

"Looks like they hit the camp hard." Ashley said.

The dark haired guy nodded, "It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up."

Ashley kept her eyes out for potential hiding spots, when she noticed something about the bodies on the spikes. They were much paler than the usual corpse, practically grey in color. Some parts of them seem to glow a light blue. Before she could move closer, the spikes suddenly retracted, leaving the bodies on top of the tripod. Immediately, the corpses began twitching and rising up from the stands.

"They're still alive!" the dark-haired guy exclaimed.

"What did the Geth do to them?" Ashley asked, shocked at what she was seeing.

Before anyone could respond, the corpses groaned and stumbled their way towards the soldiers, acting very much like the living dead. Everyone fired at the seemingly synthetic husks, most of their rounds impacting kinetic shields before actually tearing through the bodies. The husks continued charging, ignoring the shots. Two had fallen as a result of headshots, but the rest kept coming!

The commander must have noticed how close the enemy was getting, because without turning around she yelled "Link!" The silent soldier suddenly ran forward, dropping the rifle and activating his Omni-tool. At first, Ashley thought he was going to release some sort of EM pulse to take down the closest husks, but instead a long orange blade extended from the device! Before she could blink, the blond soldier had slashed at the nearest husk, and then cleaved another one in two. She watched as the soldier hacked and slashed at the husks until they all disintegrated at his feet.

"Whoa…" was all Ashley could say.

The other two chuckled at her reaction.

"This is why most people call Link," The dark haired one said as Link turned around, holographic sword still in hand, "The Lion of Elysium."

**What do you think? Good? Bad? Quit while I'm behind? Review and let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Whew, writer's block plus self-editing plus baby brother = nightmare! Well, at least I managed to finish the chapter. I hope you all enjoy it!**

**By the way, one of my reviewers asked a very good question: is Shepard going to be a paragon? Overall, yes, but she will have some renegade moments.**

**Another question that I never got to answer was: Why not a femshep and Link couple? Mainly it's because I already have pairings planned out for them. What are the pairings? Well, you can either wait and see, or you can guess in your review; whichever you prefer.**

**Now, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Legend of Zelda. **

Chapter 4: Pyrrhic victory

Amidst the chaos that had once been a spaceport, a single Turian stood along with several Geth. His armor was silver and black, and his face bore no tattoos. However, what truly made this turian unique was his left arm, which was similar to those of the Geth around him. Cables stretched from the arm across his chest and even to his left leg. His face also bore synthetic replacements, metal strips attaching his two front mandibles to the rest of his face, and his eyes little more than glowing lights inside the sockets.

He studied the area as the Geth continued placing colonists on spikes. So far the attack had been flawless; the colony was all but destroyed, and the Prothean beacon was in his possession. All that remained was to destroy the evidence of his involvement.

_A paradise_, the turian scoffed to himself. If this is what humans assumed to be the most beautiful and well protected of their colonies, then they had a lot to learn. He wasn't surprised, given how barbaric the species was in relation to the rest of the galaxy. Humanity was too naïve to see how weak they truly were. It was high time for them to learn their place.

The turian shook his head slightly, focusing back on the present. Now wasn't the time to concern him with the humility of an entire race. He still had a mission to complete.

With that, he walked towards a white Geth, who stood at attention after it had secured the area. On his approach, the flashlight head turned to him, awaiting his command.

"Set the charges. Destroy the entire colony," the turian coldly commanded, "Leave no evidence that we were here."

The Geth nodded and headed for the tram station, while the turian turned his attention toward a small pillar that emitted a green aura. He walked right up to it, studying it as the beacon began to hum. It was funny how one small piece of history could have such a universal impact in the right hands. Fortunately for him, he had those hands.

At this, the turian was suddenly lifted off its feet, as the beacon began its work.

Xxxxxxxxxx

As the tram began its course to the center of the spaceport, Link pondered over what happened in the last couple of minutes. They had found the Spectre Nihilus dead, and according to the sole surviving dockworker/smuggler, it had been the work of another turian by the name of Saren. He didn't know what was worse: the fact that a turian was working with one of the most despised races in the galaxy, or the fact that it had been someone Nihilus had known and trusted. Who is this Saren? Why is he working with the Geth? Is he working with them willingly?

There's only one way to find out, Link thought as he saw the spaceport up ahead. He took up his sniper rifle as Shepard and the others brought their weapons to bear. The minute the tram came to a stop, Link heard a familiar and ominous beeping sound.

"Demolition charges!" Kaidan exclaimed. "The Geth must have set them up!"

"Alenko, Link, take care of the charges. Williams, cover Alenko!" Shepard ordered as she focused her assault rifle to the Geth above them.

Without hesitation, Link sprinted up the ramp, switching his rifle out for a pistol while Shepard covered his back. Seeing no other charges yet, Link began crossing the walkway to the other side, taking cover as his shields absorbed a few shots. As soon as they recharged, Link brought his pistol up and fired on the synthetics, taking on down before ducking back into cover. Shepard laid down suppressing fire, giving him time to cross the rest of the way.

Once across, he found another charge and began disarming it as Shepard continued to cover him. As soon as he was done, Link turned around and fired upon the Geth grouped together on the other end. They were soon joined by Kaidan and Ashley, who quickly moved up when the Geth went into cover. Kaidan appeared to have found another bomb, which left at least one more unaccounted for. Judging by the Geth's position, Link figured it was near their location.

The team increased their assault on the Geth defensive, reducing their numbers to one large juggernaut, who charged toward Shepard and Link. Its shields disappeared from the onslaught of rounds, but it still kept going until Shepard put a few rounds through its head. Link jumped out of the way as the Geth's inertia carried it toward him until it fully collapsed.

Wasting no time, Link and Alenko rushed over to the other side, finding what Link hoped was the last one. Alenko went ahead to disarm it while everyone else focused on the Geth coming up from the platform next to theirs. A couple of husks took part in the assault, but were quickly taken down as Alenko finished.

"That's all of them," He said, slightly relieved.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Link followed Shepard to the next platform. There Link saw the catalyst behind the attack: the Prothean beacon, emitting a strange green glow. Seeing no hostiles, Shepard began calling the Normandy for pickup while Link and the others checked out the ancient artifact.

"This is amazing," Kaidan said. "Actual working Prothean technology! Unbelievable!"

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up!" Ashley exclaimed.

Hearing that made Link both intrigued and cautious. If the beacon wasn't like that before, it could only mean the enemy tampered with it. The only question was what did they do to it?

Link noticed that Ashley was getting closer to the beacon. Before he could pull her back, he heard a small hum growing louder and louder…from the artifact! Acting quickly, Link pushed Ashley away from the beacon, just as it flashed green.

Link felt himself being pulled towards the device. He dragged his feet and tried pushing against the pull, but it was too strong! He also felt one of his hands beginning to burn! What was happening?

Suddenly, Link was grabbed from behind, and then tossed away. He crashed into something, or someone, but he wasn't focusing on that. Though the pull was gone, his right hand still burned! He clutched at it, the pain becoming more unbearable by the second. He looked at the back of his hand, where the pain seemed to be the worse, and saw a gold light starting to burn through his glove! Soon after seeing it, he received an intense headache. He started hearing voices, and images flashed through his mind, too fast for anything to be clear. The voices turned to screams, getting louder and louder as the images kept coming.

Just as the pain became too unbearable, there was an explosion…and then blackness.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Inside the dark Geth dreadnought, a figure dressed in black walked through the hallways, her face showing no emotion. She looked human, with the exception of her blue skin. She was an asari, a member mono-gendered species that are known to live over a thousand years.

She approached a familiar turian sitting in synthetic chair, deep in contemplation. She stopped a few feet behind the chair and cleared her throat.

"We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime," she stated. "The Normandy; a human Alliance vessel. It was under the command of Captain Anderson. They managed to save the colony."

"And the beacon?" the turian asked, slight agitation in his voice.

"One of the humans may have used it."

At this the turian growled, and then quickly went berserk, tearing apart the small room he was in before turning his frustration toward the asari. He grabbed her face, intent on tearing her apart as well. The asari didn't even flinch.

Seeing the asari's lack of reaction, the turian slowly calmed down. A moment lasted before he let go of her face.

"This human," the turian said slowly," must be eliminated."

With that, he returned to his seat, and therefore to his meditations. The asari stayed a moment before leaving the room, seeing to her other duties. The turian remained in solitude for a few moments until he heard chuckling from a dark corner.

"You really should learn to not shoot the messenger, Saren." a dark voice said.

Saren growled. Of all his followers, he couldn't stand this one.

"I'm not in the mood," Saren said.

"What? I told you that you should have destroyed the beacon beforehand," the voice replied.

"The destruction of the colony would have ensured that," Saren countered. "It would have been an unnecessary step had things go as planned."

"You underestimated them," the voice said. "And now you're going to have to face the consequences."

"This is merely a minor setback," Saren growled. "It can easily be rectified."

"Says the alien who can't even destroy a colony properly," it joked.

Saren jumped out of seat and approached a dark figure clad in heavy armor.

"Don't lecture me about failures, _pirate_," he spat out. "As I recall, several of your exploits did not end in victory as well."

The dark figure smiled, not falling for the turian's taunts. Seeing this, Saren's fists clenched. Every day, it seemed like this one preferred to mock him rather than follow him. If it wasn't for the man's skills and contacts, he would have thrown this scum out the nearest airlock long ago. Still, at times like this the thought definitely seemed tempting.

"Those 'failures' took care of the undesirables in my crew," the voice responded. "Crude, but effective."

Saren growled and turned away from the pirate, wondering why he even bothers trying to argue with him. No longer able to meditate in peace, the aggravated Spectre walked out of the room, stating that he had some loose ends to take care of.

Shortly after, the figure pulled out a datapad he had hidden behind his pack. On it was a rugged image, a picture sent by a Geth via the network just before it 'died'. In the picture were two Alliance soldiers, one a redheaded female wearing N7 armor, and the other a blonde male with fierce blue eyes. Although he couldn't see them, the figure knew the male had pointed ears like an elf.

"So, you finally make an appearance," the man said.

The man then chuckled darkly, his yellow eyes never leaving the image of the blonde soldier.

"Well, then. Let the games begin."

**Please review and let me know if there's anything I need to fix!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update. The spring semester has been really difficult since I wrote that message earlier. That and I spent four days of my spring break doing nothing but play Mass Effect 3. I'll get back to that later. Now, as I said before, I haven't given up on this story. It's just been real difficult to focus on it while there are projects, homework assignments, and exams going on almost every single week. I will keep writing, but as I said, if anyone wants to write a story similar to this, they are more than welcome to do so. Just be sure to let me know; I would love to help you guys out in any way I can if you have any questions about doing so.**

***SPOILER ALERT***

**Now about Mass Effect 3…Overall, it's an amazing game. I love how all your past actions have an effect on the Reaper war (Ex. Sparing Rana Thanoptis the asari scientist…if I had known she would go crazy and kill several military leaders, I would have put a bullet in her head in the first game). It made me cry when I saw some of my friends die, and Joker always managed to make me laugh. However, when I saw the ending…I was emotionally shocked. All of that work, all of those countless playthroughs to get the perfect scenarios for each of my Shepards…AND HE DIES! I figured there would be a couple of endings were Shepard dies, but I hoped there would be at least one where Shepard could live happily ever after with Tali (being the loyal Talimancer that I am). Seeing him sacrifice himself like that…to say I was crushed would be an understatement. Afterwards, I didn't want to have anything to do with Mass Effect. All I could see was Shepards demise, and Tali's heartbroken face (video game character or not, I feel pain every time she cries). And then I heard about the indoctrination theory, and slowly but surely I made my way back to the franchise. I hoped that the theory was correct, that the ending was a fake…but now I'm hearing that the extended cut DLC will only provide more closure to the endings, rather than offer a new one. I was frustrated, but now I want to see how my decision at the end made a difference. I want to see what happens when all life is synthesized, or what happens to the Normandy crew. Most of all, I want to see what happens to Tali; I want to see if she at least gets a happy ending. I may be dead, but as long as Tali is happy later on after the war, that'll be good enough for me. **

**Anyway, here's the long awaited update. Hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Legend of Zelda.**

Chapter 5: Politics

When Link opened his eyes, he first saw a grey mist. He looked around for any indication as to where he was, but the fog was thick wherever he looked. Link took a step forward, only to discover something different about his boots. He looked down, and immediately noticed that instead of his armor, he was dressed in civilian clothes, slightly torn and dirty. Acting on a hunch, he sniffed the air, picking up scents of freshly-turned soil and what he believed was…mother's….

Mindoir.

As if the very thought was the trigger, Sounds of gunfire and screaming was heard. Link rushed to where the screams seemed loudest, only to see a man fall right in front of him. It was Mr. Erickson, his boss at one of the many farms surrounding the colony. Link's blood churned at the sight of numerous bullet holes on Mr. Erickson's back.

Seeing as that direction was a bad idea, Link headed the opposite way, only to see another corpse lying close by. Terrified, Link dashed in a random direction, seeing more bodies and the occasional armored figure dragging away a frightened child. He tried to save the children, but the two always disappeared in the fog, no matter how close Link got to them.

Before long, Link was lost. Everywhere seemed to reveal more death and suffering, to which he was helpless to change. As he looked around frantically for some kind of escape from this horrible nightmare, the gunfire and screams never ceased, but instead grew in volume. Link covered his ears and closed his eyes, wishing for it all to stop—

"Link"

Link snapped his eyes open at the voice. It was a gentle voice, full of kindness and warmth. It was the kind that promised security and love. Only one person had such a voice…

Link turned and saw a figure in the fog. It was a woman with short blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a worn apron over her colonist clothing. She smiled at him and raised her arms, as if expecting a hug.

Mother…

Link tried running to her, to warn her of the danger, but his legs quickly grew heavy. Link grunted against the sudden shift and pressed on, his eyes focused on the still smiling form of his mother. He could not lose her again!

Mother!

He was halfway there when he saw it: the arms slowly falling limp, the eyes glazing over, a thin trail of blood running from the corner of her mouth.

MOTHER!

His mother fell to the ground, only for Link to grab her just before she hit the ground. He looked her over, hoping to still save her. He couldn't find the wound! He frantically shook her, hoping that she had just fainted.

Nothing. She was gone…again.

The tears flowed as despair overwhelmed Link. Why? Why couldn't he save her? Why did she have to die? It wasn't fair!

No longer able to contain it, Link cried out in anguish.

At the sound of his voice, the fog disappeared, revealing the world in flames. The buildings, the nearby forests, even the sky was on fire! Link looked on in terror as he saw colonists, young and old, being torn apart by familiar looking grey figures. His mind screamed at him to move, but his body was paralyzed!

Suddenly, the ground shook as something moved behind him, screeching a strange noise that seemed to pierce right into his brain. As soon as he was able to, Link turned his head around, just in time to see a gigantic synthetic leg about to crush him!

Xxxxxxxxxx

Link woke with a start, sucking in air as if he had been underwater. His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. Where was he? What happened? Why does his head hurt so much? Such thoughts ran through his mind until he felt hands on his shoulders, and heard a gentle voice.

"-lright, Link. It's alright. You're safe now." The voice said, trying to calm him.

Link turned and saw none other than Doctor Chakwas, the medical officer of the Normandy. Seeing the aged doctor's face, he recognized where he was, and took in slow, deep breaths, slowing down his rapid heart rate. His head still hurt, but it was a dull throb now. Slowly, Link sat up, the doctor keeping her hands on his shoulders to steady him.

"You gave us quite a scare there, Link," Doctor Chakwas said. "How are you feeling?"

Groaning, Link brought up his Omnitool and began typing.

"**Feels like I lost a fight with a Krogan."**

At that, he heard chuckling from his left, and saw Shepard leaning up against the bed next to him. She looked pale and exhausted, no doubt feeling the exact same way he was. Other than that, she appeared fine.

"You would be crazy enough to pick a fight with a Krogan, wouldn't you Link?" She responded.

Link merely rolled his eyes at her and asked what had happened.

"The beacon exploded," a third voice spoke out. Link turned and saw the dark-haired colonial soldier that had fought with them back on Eden Prime, "After you pushed me out of the way, Shepard did the same for you, but you were still close enough to get affected by the blast."

"You had no idea what would happen, Williams." Shepard said.

Williams nodded, but Link could tell she still felt guilty.

"Well, Link, physically you're fine, "the doctor stated. "However, like Shepard, I also found unusual brain activity and increased rapid eye movement. Did you, by any chance, have any strange dreams?"

Link nodded, his thoughts wondering about the intense dream he had.

Seeing his response, the doctor continued, "I also found a rather unusual marking on your right hand."

Doctor Chakwas pointed to the hand in question, and Link noticed three dark yellow triangles on the back of it. They were arranged so that they created a larger triangle, with an empty spot in-between them. He thought back as to where he received it, and remembered the burning sensation that had on the hand before he blacked out.

"Alenko and I saw that when we took off your glove," Williams pointed out, holding a glove that had the same marking on it. "Seems like that weird glow etched the marking to it too."

"**Is it some kind of Prothean symbol?" **Link asked as he stood up.

"Not sure, we'll have to-" Chakwas began to answer before the med bay door opened.

A dark-skinned man walked in, wearing the uniform of an Alliance captain. His presence spoke not only of discipline and authority, but also kindness and understanding. Link immediately straightened as the captain walked up to the small group.

"Oh, Captain Anderson." The doctor exclaimed.

"How are these two holding up, doctor?" Anderson asked.

"Well, all the readings looked normal; I say they're going to be fine." Doctor Chakwas stated.

"Glad to hear it," he said before adding, "Shepard, Link I need to speak with you two …in private."

"Sounds like that beacon hit you two pretty hard," the captain said after Doctor Chakwas and Chief Williams left the med bay, "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I assume Williams has been reassigned to the Normandy?" Shepard asked.

"I figure we could use a soldier like her," Anderson answered.

"She's a good soldier," Shepard agreed, "…I still don't like soldiers dying under my command, though."

Link flinched as he recalled what happened to Corporal Jenkins. The sound the rounds made as they ripped through his shields and then his armor…Link should have done something!

"**It's my fault. I should have pushed him into cover before-"** Link said before the captain interrupted him.

"Jenkins wasn't your fault, or yours, Commander," Anderson said to them, "you both did a good job."

Link and Shepard nodded, but Link still thought about how he could have saved Jenkins. It's not the first time Link has lost a fellow soldier, but no amount of experience can ease the guilt it causes. It has, however, taught Link to use that guilt to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated.

"You said you needed to see us in private, Captain." Shepard stated, changing the subject.

"I won't lie to you two," Anderson said solemnly, "Things look bad. Nihilus is dead. The beacon was destroyed, and Geth are invading. The Council is going to want answers."

"We didn't do anything wrong, Captain," Shepard argued. "Hopefully the Council can see that."

Link nodded in agreement. Surely the Council wouldn't reprimand them for simply doing their jobs. Although, now that he thought about it, not once has he seen a politician who wasn't more than eager to point fingers at someone else. Link hoped the Council would be better than that, but he wouldn't hold his breath.

"I'll stand behind you and your reports, Shepard," the captain spoke. "You two are damned heroes in my books, but that's not why I'm here."

"It's Saren, that other turian," Anderson continued. "Saren's a Spectre; one of the best. A living legend. But if he's working with the Geth, it means he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous, and he hates humans."

A rogue Spectre, Link thought. It's bad enough that Geth were attacking human colonies, but finding out that a Spectre, one of few individuals with the skills and authority to take out armies at any cost, was leading them was far worse. Hating humans is one thing, but…

"**Saren didn't attack Eden Prime simply because he hates humans." **Link argued.

"You're right, Link. Saren has allied himself with the Geth." Anderson agreed. "I don't know how, and I don't know why, but it had something to do with that beacon. You two were there just before the beacon self-destructed; did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?"

"Just before I lost consciousness, I had some kind of vision." Shepard replied.

"A vision? A vision of what?" Anderson asked.

"I saw synthetics, Geth maybe, slaughtering people; butchering them," she hesitantly said.

Link felt a shiver run down his spine as Shepard described her vision. His vision wasn't too far off from that. He saw Anderson turning his attention towards him, awaiting his answer as to what happened. Link took a deep breath before replying.

"**I saw those husk things slaughtering people on Mindoir."** He said.

Link saw both Shepard and Anderson frown at the name of the colony. Both were aware of how the slaver raid on Mindoir affected him. In the past they tried their best not to bring it up, to which Link was grateful. No matter how many years pass by, he still feels the impact of the horrid event as if it was only yesterday.

"I see," Anderson said. "We need to report this to the Council."

"What are we going to tell them? We had a bad dream?" Shepard asked skeptically.

Link agreed. No one in their right minds would ever believe something like this had any significance. Heck, he wouldn't believe it himself if he didn't have such gruesome images lingering somewhere in his mind. As for politicians, they may be arrogant and self-centered, but they certainly weren't gullible; gullible enough to believe dreams, at least.

"We don't know what information was stored on that beacon," Anderson explained. "Lost Prothean technology, blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction, whatever it was…Saren took it.

"But I know Saren," he continued. "I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war. He has the secrets from the beacon, he has an army of Geth at his command, and he won't stop until he's wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy."

"Don't worry, sir. We'll find some way to take him down." Shepard said with conviction.

"It's not that easy," Anderson replied. "He's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side."

Link finally saw what the captain was getting at. To take down a Spectre, you first had to remove his authority and resources.

"**We prove that Saren's a traitor, and the Council will revoke his Spectre status." **Link said.

"I'll contact the ambassador, and see if he can get us an audience with the Council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel." Anderson said. "Commander, head up to the bridge and tell Joker to bring us in to dock."

With that, Captain Anderson walked away, no doubt towards the communication room. After a few seconds, Shepard also made a move towards the door, with Link not too far behind.

Link smiled to himself. They may have lost the beacon, and they may be plagued with daunting visions, but they had a plan for the turian creep that caused all of this. It was vague, and the evidence of Saren's rogue activities was weak, but if it's one thing he and Shepard were good at, it's improvising.

He just had to hope the Council would listen to them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!"

….although, it's easy to see why the Council would turn a deaf ear, Link thought as human ambassador Udina raged at the holograms of the three Councilors. He may not be a politician, but Link doubted shouting at them was an effective move to get what you want. As the Councilors gave their annoyed responses, Link tuned out the conversation, focusing on the view of the Presidium.

He had to admit, the Presidium was pretty spectacular. Its lakes, trees, and holographic sky almost make you forget your on a station (at least, until you notice the roof curving upwards on either end of the horizon). It was a shame that the rest of the Citadel didn't look like this. Link was hardly surprised, though. It seems like no matter the race, the rich and powerful always lived in luxury, while the rest received second-rate housing and the like.

"-son, I see you brought half your crew with you." An arrogant voice said.

Link brought his attention back to the conversation as Anderson explained that they were the members of the ground team on Eden Prime.

"I have the mission reports, I assume they're accurate?" Ambassador Udina rudely asked.

"They are," Anderson answered. "Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

If you consider a temper tantrum a persuasive argument, Link thought.

"They were not happy about it," Udina replied. "Saren is their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

"Saren's a threat to every human colony out there; he needs to be stopped. The Council has to listen to us" Shepard said.

"Settle down, Commander," the ambassador said. "You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. The mission on Eden Prime was to show that you could get the job done. Instead, Nihilus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed."

Please tell me this jerk wasn't democratically elected, Link prayed as he tried to control his anger towards the ambassador's accusation.

"That's Saren's fault, not hers!" Anderson exclaimed.

"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations." Udina retorted. "Otherwise the Council might use this to keep you out of the Spectres."

Again he emphasizes the Spectre candidacy. What about the hundreds of soldiers and civilians who lost their lives on Eden Prime? Aren't their lives worth more than a simple title? Link understood why being called a Spectre would be a big deal, but when a supposed representative of humanity focuses on that instead of simply righting a wrong against a human colony, it angers Link to no end. A small part of him wonders how the Alliance Parliament reacted when Mindoir was hit.

As Link watched the captain and the ambassador walk out of the room, he held nothing but contempt towards Udina. Apparently Ashley felt the same way as she said:

"And that's why I hate politicians.

**A/N: …Yeah, I don't really like politics. Don't forget to review.**

**By the way, someone asked me if Link was going to be paired with anyone. Yes, he will be in a pairing. Who's he going to be paired with? Well obviously not Femshep, I already stated earlier that it wouldn't be her. You'll have to read to find out (unless you guys already figured it out).**

**Udina: OUTRAGE!**

**WTF! Udina, what are you doing here?**

**Udina: You can't just leave us all guessing, I demand an answer!**

…**..**

***cocks shotgun***


	6. Author's note

**To all my readers,**

**I apologize for not updating sooner than now, but...some things came up. For starters, I received a new computer for my birthday (which was in June), but it took me a lot longer for me to buy Microsoft Office for it so that I could continue to write. That is mainly the reason why I haven't updated until now. **

**I know many of you are excited to see what happens next in this story, which is why it kills me that I'm writing this. I did not lie when I said I would continue writing, in fact I was halfway through the next chapter by the time exam week arrived, but over the summer...I ran into a couple of rough situations. As a result of failing a couple of advanced classes (one of them being physics) , I permanently lost all my scholarships, which means I'll have to pay the rest of my college education straight out of my pocket. Also...I lost a loved one. She died on the operating table with me sitting next to her. I didn't even know she passed until...Needless to say, I just don't have the heart to continue this story anymore. **

**It's probably for the best. Who was I kidding? There was no way a beginner like me would ever finish a story spanning the entire trilogy. It just isn't realistic for a guy like me to take on such a huge project like that. A story like this belongs to someone who actually has the time and the heart to do so: the two things I no longer have anymore.**

**I'm sorry to say this, but Mass Legends...is on haitus. Keelah, I hate that word. But right now that's the best I can describe the status of the story. It hurts knowing that I'm letting you all down, but I just can't finish it. Perhaps one day when I get my act together...well, we'll let the future decide that one.**

**That doesn't mean I won't write, however. In the past, I have found writing to be one of the many ways to escape the harsh aspects of reality; and given what has happened to me, any kind of escape, temporary as it may be, is more than welcome. It won't be full-fledged stories like this one, but one-shots or short fics that won't be as strenuous to my time and motivation. **

**I want to thank everyone who has followed me up to this point. I greatly appreciate your suppport, which had given me the courage I needed to get to this point. I hope you continue to support me in my future writings, but I understand if you don't. Nevertheless, thank you.**

**Keelah Se'lai.**


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